Method of producing power



April 24, 192s.

M. J. TRUMBLE METHOD OF PRODUCIN G POWER Filed 001'.. 25 1922 Cavan/55e Cocu/v6 MMSE [PRODI/cr 45 Y ffm l duoing Patented Apr. 24, 1928.

.UNITED ySTATES MILoN J. TRUMBLE, or ALHAMBRA, CALIFORNIA;

METHOD or 4rnoDUerNe POWER.

lApplication filed Ct0beri25, 1922. Seria1 No. 596,725.

My invention relates to'methods of propower, and is particularly applicable to tie production of power from low grade hydrocarbons or minerals containing The` principal object of the invention is to v provide a process `of an apparatus for producing power from such low grade materials. There existin many parts of the United States large deposits of oil shale, oil sand, lignite, brown coal or the like which are unsuitable for burning beneath the ordinary boilers and which have not previously been economically used for .the production of power. "Itis an' object of my invention to provide means for so utilizing such material.

Further objects and Vadvantages will appear hereinafter.

Referring to the drawing, Vwhich lis for illustrative purposes only, -1 i Fig. 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus ada ted to carry 'on my invention.

Fig. 2 is adiagrammatic plan View of the same. Y

In the form of the invention shown, I provide a boiler 11 having a superheater 12, this boiler being fired by oil or gas delivered through a pipe 14 to an oil burner 13 inside the boiler. In practice, I prefer to use one or more boilers which feed steam into a common manifold 15 through valves 16.

I also provide a plurality of retorts 20 which are connected throughlvalves 21 with the manifold 15 and Which are connected through valves 22 with a manifold 23. The manifold 23 is connected through a valve 241 with a turbo generator 30, this turbo generator 30 consisting of a steam turbine 31 which is` directly connected to an electric generator 32.

The exhaust side of the steam turbine 31 ,is connected by a pipe 33 with a condenser 40 which is cooled by Water delivered through a pipe 41, the heated Water, being` withdrawn by a pipe 42. The condenser delivers fluid through a pipe 43 to a. trap 5() which is adapted to separate gas, oil and water; the gas being delivered through pipe 51, the oil through the pipe 52, and the water through pipe 53. The gas delivered through the pipe 51 is delivered through a valve 55 into the pipe 14 or through a valve 56 to a suitable storage. A bypass pipe 60, having a valve 61, is adapted to bypass vapors past the turbine 31.

The retort 2O is provided with a tight coverf 26 and a tight bottom 27, both of which may be.4 removed for convenience in charging and removingthe spent materia-l. All of theindividual apparatus shown is old in the art and other well known formsmay be` substituted therefor` Without departing from thespirit of my invention. i.

lVhile my invention is applicable to operation with many types of-:carbonaceous material, I will discuss my invention as applied to the utilization ,of oil shale. y

This oil shale, as is well known, contains considerable quantities of light o'il. lVhen operating upon shale, the method of opera-y tionk is, as follows: The retorts .2() `are arranged ina series, being charged with shale as shown-in Fig. 1. As soon as the retort hasbeen charged and the cover 26 and the bottom 27 have beenvsecured theretopthe valves 21 and 22 from that particular` retort are opened and steam is taken `.from the manlifold 15, being blown through the shale into the manifold 23. y `This steam is taken from the boiler through the superheater` v12 in which itis raised to aihigh` temperature. The retorts 20 are adapted to sustain consid-` erable pressure and a distillation takes place therein, the heat of the steam under pressure distilling and vaporizing the hydrocarbons carried by the shale.

The manifold 23 therefore carries a mixture of oil vapor and steam under high temperature and pressure. This oil vapor and steam is passed through the steam turbine 3l turning the generator 32 and delivering electrical power which may be applied to any use. l

After leaving the steam turbine, the mixture of vapors is delivered to the condenser l10 in which a certain` portion thereof is condensed. The mixture entering the condenser tl() is at a high temperature but a low pressure. Upon reducing the temperature in the condenser, the steam forms water and a portion of the hydrocarbon vapors form oil. There will in some cases be considerable quantities of fixed gas whichv is separated from the exhaust vapors by the trap 50, this xed gas being then utilized with or without other fuel to maintain combustion in the boiler 11. In cases where there is not suficient gas to furnish all the fuel a portion of` and While' in service are maintained at boi-ler pressure and super-heater temperature?,

It will be noted that the turbo-generator acts as a pressure reducer for the steam and oil vapors, enablinga Considerable portion of the energy deliveredby the boiler 11 to be applied to useful Work and at the same time allowing theretorts-120tobe= ca-rried at high temperatures and` pressures Without enees'sivey expenditures of energy.`

Y In sta-rting'the vapors maybe allowed to bypass through the bypass pipeV 60. The valve is, however, normallyv closed as the process isa continuousene, one or more of 'the retorts Qbeingalwvays outoi"` service,

being charged and being` againV eut back into service, Whencharged.

Whenoperatin'g on oil' shale or oil sand, l-he spent material?l in the retorts- 20 after distillation is free 'fromy carbon' and of little value.

When lignite orlow' grade coal is used, the spent material in the retorts may be coke' which has aconsiderable commercial value. p

In any case, in addition to the power' produced by the'iturboegenerator 30, I produce as another commerciali product `the oil deli-vered `through the pipe 52, apart or all of which is available under' the usuali conditions: et operation. f Y

If Il maintainfthe retorts 20 at or abo-"ve five li'xundred degrees Fahrenheit and at a pressure `lof? one hundred pounds per square inch or over, a certain amount of cracking of the shale oiltal'res place 1n the retorts and a considerable portion of the oil delivered to the pipe 52 iis-a light gasoline or toluene or other cracked product of high. commercial value.. Thewqnality of this product can be readily controlled by a regulation of the temperature and pressure of the steam in the manifold 15.`

I claim as my invention:

1:. A method of uitilizng'low grade fuel comprising: `placing the fuel in an enclosed chamber; blowing steam through said: fuel to vaporize the hydrocarbons containedifn said fuel; utilizing said steam and hydrocarbon vapors togetherv in a prime mover; and recovering, by condensation, someof the hydrocarbonY valuesfromthe exhaust o said prime move-r.

2. A process as inv claim l in which a portion of the hydrocarbon values contained` in the exhaust vapors of the prime mover are utilized to generate the steamused to vaporize the hydrocarbons contained in said fuel.

3. A process in claim- 1 in which the steam is superheated before being passed through said fuel, by the ccnnbustien-l of gases separated` from said hydrocarbon values;

In testimony whereof, I havev hereunto set my hand atiA Los Angeles, California, this 19th day of October, 1922.

MILQN J. TRUMBLE, 

